MISSING
by CallMeElphie
Summary: Katara is kidnapped by the nefarious criminal Yakone. Will the rest of the Gaang be able to save her? Or will time run out?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One. Late Night Meetings.

Aang rubbed the back of his head already feeling ashamed of being late for the twenty-second consecutive year. He pushed open the heavy glass doors that opened into a marble-floored entry way.

"Aang, wait up!" Sokka's voice rang through the empty room.

The Avatar stopped reluctantly. "What do you need, Sokka? I'm in a bit of a hurry to be home." Urgency jutted from the words in a low growl as he tried to keep cool. A last minute meeting over policy change in punishment for bloodbending had been brought up. Aang was forced to sit in on the impromptu meeting that happened to take place on his anniversary.

"What do you want me to say to end the meeting?" Sokka tugged on his pony tail. "I'm so sorry we kept you late. I am happy that you were here." The Councilman lowered his voice as if the walls had ears, "I thought it was interesting the bloodbending legislation was brought up thirty days before election time. I think we should keep an eye on that Eugene guy."

Aang's brow furrowed. "That is very odd, yes. But Sokka, you have to understand that I need to get home. Katara has been expecting me. It's a wonder she hasn't left me after thirty-two years of not being on time for our anniversary dinner." Legislation was the last thing on his mind. He twirled his glider to make it unfold. His grey eyes shot one last warning at Sokka.

"Okay, we'll talk about it later. Have fun. Make good choices." With a sigh, Sokka turned on his heels and headed back to the meeting room where Eugene and the other members of the Council still sat in waiting.

Somewhat relieved, Aang took off on his glider and headed for home. The island seemed forever out of reach as he flew over the city. Work was never done and was never convenient for his marriage to Katara. He was thankful she was understanding of the whole situation. Or at least most times she made an effort to understand.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, he whispered a prayer for himself. Without taking a last look at the moon over the bay, he reached to open the door but found that it had been left slightly open.

Worry began to wash over him. She never left the door open at night.

"Katara?" He called out as he stepped into the house. The entry way and living room were dark, but there was a small light left on in the kitchen. Aang called her name again with more worry seeping into his voice. He hoped she was just ignoring him. He leaned his glider against the wall and quietly walked through the two empty rooms.

He turned the corner to enter the kitchen, "Sweetie, I'm sorry. I-" He stopped his explanation as soon as he realized she wasn't there. It wasn't in the condition she always had it in either. A pan sat on the stovetop, dishwater was left in the sink, and a rag was left on the floor. He guessed that she started to prepare dinner for herself when their plans to go out obviously fell through.

Still, this wasn't like Katara.

The place was so quiet that Aang wondered if she was outside. She sometimes liked to sit on the balcony outside of their bedroom when she needed peace. Their room faced towards the open ocean instead of the city. Katara mentioned that she loved to look at the horizon because that's where the ocean kissed the sky. It was a metaphor for them.

"Katara," Aang called just before opening their bedroom door. The dress she had picked for the evening hung by her mirrored vanity. It was one of his favorites known as "the purple one." With a sigh, he walked over and touched the fabric.

The night would have been absolutely beautiful. They planned to go to the fanciest restaurant and then leave for an entire week to Ember Island. Sokka was the only one that knew about the Ember Island part. The couple wanted to disappear to have some privacy for just five days.

Maybe she'd left without him.

A folded piece of paper sitting on the vanity caught his attention. He held his breath. It was probably going to be her beautiful handwriting telling him she needed to get away for a while. Aang unfolded the paper at a dreadfully slow rate to delay the aching in his heart.

The words on the page revealed something much worse.

Katara's eyes fluttered open from a dreamless sleep. The sound of her heart beating thudded in her ears. Everything spun slowly. Her head rested on damp cement. Her hands were bound behind her back and her feet were tied together with rough rope.

As the memory of how she'd gotten to this spot flooded her, her lungs fought for every breath she took.

"Okay, okay. Don't panic. First question, where are you?" She said quietly to herself.

The room was dark except for the small amount of light streaming in from a window on the door. It illuminated the space enough to see that it was no bigger than a storage closet. No other details could be seen.

Katara maneuvered herself to a somewhat sitting position. "Second question, can you bend?" She twirled her fingers behind her in attempt to bend water from the air. Nothing happened. "Dammit." The news was out that some criminals had figured out the drug police used to block bending; obviously the men who kidnapped her figured out the formula. "Looks like it's plan B."

She scooted across the floor looking for anything that could cut the ropes.

Before she could get very far, the door opened and a bare light bulb was powered on. "Ah, you're awake. How nice." A coy male voice drifted on the air.

"Yakone." Katara growled through her clenched jaw.

Towering above her, Yakone took a cigarette and lighter from his vest pocket. "You know, you're much prettier in person." He tapped the cigarette on his wrist and lit it. "I really like the idea of you tied up." Finally, he took a long drag on the cigarette and stepped towards her.

"You're disgusting." Katara spat, trying to kick herself away from him.

He knelt down to look her in the face and exhaled the smoke. "Am I?" He smirked. "You know, I think I'm a genius. For years I have slaved over ideas for how to get rid of the Avatar. Killing him would only land myself in jail and cause the people to rally against gangs. Kidnapping him, too dangerous. It'd be me six feet under. Then one day, I saw you on the cover of one of those annoying magazines for teenaged girls and thought, 'that's it. To make the Avatar surrender Republic City to me, I have to take what he loves most.' Tell me I'm a genius."

She felt tears burn her eyes with hatred for him. "You're going to be dead when I get out of this! Or worse! If Aang gets to you."

Yakone stood and laughed. "Ah yes, your dear husband that stood you up for another meeting. My apologies, princess, but if he has any smarts, he'll just give me what I want. If not, well, I've got some pretty awful things planned for you."

"You're forgetting who you're talking to."

"And I think you've forgotten who is in control at this moment." Yakone took a final drag from the cigarette and thrust it into Katara's neck. She let out a wild cry in pain. "Face it, princess, you're mine now. Soon, the whole city will be too."

**Hi there, I'm Elphie... This is my first story on , but this is not my first fan fiction ever. I started writing fan fiction for ATLA six years ago. I posted things to ...oh those were the days. Then I moved to wattpad, and now I finally feel like I could possibly, maybe be good enough for this site. I view it as the major leagues and I am excited and nervous all at the same time. There are so many wonderful writers on here and I envy them all. Anyway, thanks for stopping by! ~Elphie**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Avatar: The Last Airbender. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, thank you to everyone who gave a review/followed/added this to your favorites! It is very encouraging to me as a young writer! Big thank you to chickenscrews! I really appreciated the time you took reviewing this.**

**Anyway, y'all are lovely! **

**~Elphie**

Chapter Two

Denial.

Aang's world stopped at the end of the final sentence of the note. He placed the now crinkled paper back on the vanity where he found it. He'd hope it'd turn back time. His eyes darted to the mirror, hoping to see Katara standing next to him.

Instead, Avatar Kuruk took the place of his own reflection. A past life that was devastated by the capture and death of his lover. The man's eyes sunk with years of unspeakable sadness and pain.

Avatar Kuruk walked forward, his arm extended. As Kuruk's hand touched Aang's shoulder all the pain of his past lives rushed forward. All the loss of people so distant in time and memory crowded him. He grew frustrated that he couldn't clear his mind enough to think of only Katara. It all flurried around him in flashes of faces and questions parts of him begged to ask. Why her? Why now? What's happening to her? Where is she? _Katara_. He felt his legs give way to gravity. The shock of the cold ground froze his thoughts. The last phrase she said to him, her eyes fixed on something else, "Don't be late, please." It felt distant, out of reach. Everything about her, from her pleasing fragrance to the way she hummed in content when he kissed her goodbye, ripped away from him. _Katara_. His mind began to thaw bringing him back to the present. _Katara_. Reality that she was gone hit him hard as he lay shaking on the floor. He quickly clawed his way to the bathroom where he emptied the contents of his stomach into the toilet. _Katara_. His mind boiling now one thought remained.

Where is she?

He caught his breath and finally stood. Aang glanced at himself in the mirror again to find his own reflection. The storm stirring in his eyes startled even himself, but he ignored it. One thing mattered to him: getting his wife back.

Fire danced on his breath as he left the bathroom. Grabbing his glider, he flew over the bay.

Seeing the city's lights fanned the fire already growing deep within his soul. Somewhere amid the people laughing, dancing, and partying, the rotten underbelly celebrated its own triumph.

Aang landed in the middle of the street Toph lived on. He checked over his shoulder multiple times before briskly walking up to the home of his friend. He pounded on the door, urgency sweeping throughout his body.

"Uncle Aang?" Lin's voice carried concern for him immediately.

"Can I come in?" He asked, unsuccessfully grasping for his composure. Lin didn't have time to answer before Aang stepped inside.

"Twinkle-toes?" Toph's voice drifted from the kitchen. "I didn't expect to see you here on your anniversary."

"I didn't expect to be here either." Aang snapped, throwing his glider on the floor. He crossed into the kitchen and looked over at Toph. She was in her casual wear, getting ready to wind down for the evening.

"Hey, Lin—"Another familiar voice emerged from the back hall. Tenzin rounded the corner, a goofy smile dashed across his face. "Oh. Dad, I thought you were with mom?"

Aang saw through the paper thin excuse. "You were supposed to be at Sokka's." Anger welled up in his throat. "Do you know what could have happened if I didn't know where you were? Something terrible could have happened to you and I wouldn't have a clue of where to find you or how to get to you! You are sixteen-years-old and should be more responsible. Do you understand how important it is for me to know where you are?" He felt Toph's hand on his shoulder.

"You need to cool it. Sokka was coming here to get him after the meeting so the poor boy wasn't alone." Toph took a seat at the kitchen table. "What's gotten you so worked up?"

Tenzin strolled over to Lin and put his arm around her shoulder. "Oh, don't you know, it's his anniversary." He smirked at his dad, who had his head in his hands. "Something obviously must have happened. Did she throw something at you like she did two years ago? That was funny!"

"Tenzin! Enough." Aang rose. The air was left unsettled by his outburst. They waited on his explanation. "She's gone."

Silence held on to the space between them. Aang returned to his chair.

Tenzin exchanged glances with Lin before speaking up. "What do you mean?"

Aang avoided the glare from his son by keeping his eyes on the table. "I mean she's been taken. Kidnapped."

"Are you sure, Twinkle-toes?" Toph's voice was filled with disbelief.

"Yeah, dad. That sounds ridiculous. I mean, mom could fight back. There's no way." Tenzin released Lin and wandered to the kitchen window.

"I'm telling you, she's gone and someone took her. I know. I have a note and evidence that she was taken. You have to believe me!" Aang's voice trembled.

"All right, I'll go put a jacket on and we can go check out your house for any evidence." She rose from the table and started down the hall to her bedroom. "This is all unofficial because I wouldn't put it past Sweetness to pack up and leave for a night." She tossed over her shoulder.

"Hurry." Aang growled.

Tenzin had to admit that seeing the kitchen in such disarray upset him. It was not at all how his mother would leave it under any circumstance. He watched as Toph stood there rubbing her chin in thought while tapping her bare foot in a steady beat, perhaps in hope the vibrations may come back to her with something new. "Well, Junior, this is peculiar. No sign of struggle. Unless you count the dropped dish rag. The doorjamb is busted on the front door, which leads me to believe there was a break in. I'll have to bring a team out. Can you go ask your dad for that note?" She asked him finally, arms crossed and frowning.

"Yes." Tenzin responded simply. He refused to believe that his mother was taken. Even if someone broke in, she could have fought them off. Then, obviously shaken, she would have gone to Uncle Sokka's house. That was the story he was going with. Mom was at Uncle Sokka's and they haven't checked there yet.

He poked his head into his parent's bedroom. "Dad?" He kept his voice low.

Aang sat on Katara's side of the bed curled into himself. Sadness immediately overtook Tenzin. He looked to his mother's vanity where a piece of paper sat crinkled. Keeping his eyes on his father, he picked it up and smoothed it out.

"_Avatar,_

_ I hope you don't mind, but I thought I would borrow a little something of yours. If you want your precious wife back, you'll have to give me what I want. See how that works?_

_ Happy anniversary."_

"No." The word escaped as a whisper from Tenzin's lips. He looked back over at his father. Tears streaked the face of the most powerful man on the planet, and he knew that this was real.

Katara was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Nightmare

Tenzin's soul ripped in two. He didn't know whether he wanted to punch the wall or collapse against it. The world seemed to be closing in. The edges of his vision began to darken.

Young Tenzin woke with a start. The house was quiet, and that scared him even more. He jumped from his bed with careful precision to land right at his bedroom door rather than risk being gobbled up by the monster in his nightmare.

He quickly ran to the end of the hall and pushed the door open just enough for him to squeeze through. He saw half the bed was empty. _Daddy's probably being the Avatar. _Tiptoeing with Airbender ease, he quietly made his way to his mother. Relief poured over him when he saw that a monster didn't steal her. To be perfectly sure she was real, he prodded her face with one stubby finger.

Her eyes fluttered open and he froze.

"Tenzin you're supposed to be sleeping." The soothing voice of his mother validated her presence.

"Momma, I had to make sure you were here." He whispered frantically.

She reached out with and held his tiny hand in hers, "I'm here," she said. Katara kissed his hand and offered a sleepy smile. "Now you need to go back to sleep."

"But Momma I had a dream where a scary monster stole you away and Daddy's superpowers disappeared and I never saw you again and I was all alone forever!" He said, throwing his arms up over his head in exasperation.

"I'm sorry, sweetie. I will always be there for you, OK? Would it make you feel better if you slept in my bed tonight?"

Tenzin nodded his head and crawled under the covers beside his mother. He wished Daddy would come home.

At least he had his mom.

Tenzin jerked back to reality. _You promised. _Pushing himself up, he punched the wall and strode out of the room without looking at his father.

"Are you alright?" Lin turned towards the boy, worry etched in her face.

Without acknowledging the presence of the world, Tenzin continued out of the house. Opening up his glider, he heard his father behind him. A firm hand on his shoulder delayed his takeoff.

"I need you." Aang's stormy eyes pleaded with Tenzin to stay.

_Me? You're the Avatar. You're everything. People need you. I need you. She needs you._

"Mom needs me more" He broke free from his father's grip and threw the glider out in front of him.

Tenzin took off over the bay, the tears overflowing then disappearing into the glimmering water below. He had no destination in mind. _Mom? Where are you? I need you. I need Dad. You said I wouldn't have to be alone. You said the monster wouldn't take you. Where is he? Where is the monster?_

His eyes half blind with tears and rage, he searched the streets of Republic city. His anger increasing with his speed. _Where are you! Where did you take my mom? I can't spend my life alone._

On the street below, Sokka walked with slow, deliberate steps towards Toph's house. His head hung low and he concentrated on kicking a stone to distract him from his thoughts about the meeting.

Tumbling out of the sky, Tenzin landed hard on the cold pavement. In the light of the streetlamp, he could just make out Sokka's face.

"Tenzin? Are you okay?" Sokka rushed towards him to help him up.

Tenzin thrust him away violently. "It's your fault! This wouldn't have happened if it weren't for you!"

"Tenzin, what are you talking about?" Sokka's voice filled with concern for the boy.

Tenzin's hands weakly pounded at Sokka's chest. Exhaustion threatened to overtake him.

"I'm all alone and it's because of you!" Tenzin shouted, his voice threatened to break.

"Slow down. Tenzin what's wrong? Sokka reached out and put his hands on Tenzin's shoulders.

"It's all your fault! You could have stopped the meeting! It's your fault he was late!"

"You're not making any sense! Take a deep breath."

"No! She's missing! I wish the monster had taken you instead! It's all your fault!" Tenzin collapsed on the ground. Tired, emotionally and physically, he sat in a pitiful heap sobbing.

Sokka knelt down beside him. "Who is missing, Tenzin?"

"Mom."

The blood drained from the man's face. His hand began to tremble as the night filled with Tenzin's sobbing. Katara? Missing? A million questions rushed his mind and every answer led him to a single conclusion. "It is my fault."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Blame

_It's all his fault. _

_ He promised he'd be home._

_ He wasn't._

_ Now I'm here. _

Katara cried in silence. Murmurs from behind the door fused with her thoughts. _What is Yakone planning to do with her anyway? _Spirits only knew.

If he had just been there.

This wasn't like the other times where he'd come in late with a shy, goofy smile and begin to stutter through an eloquent apology that got her every time. This wasn't like the times where she grew so frustrated that it took hours for her to accept the apology. Deep down, she believed that he loved her with every fiber of his being. She understood his split life of being the world's balance and being a husband and father.

"Don't be late, please." She had said, looking over his shoulder to the bay that always came between them. When he kissed her, she felt butterflies in her stomach as if she returned to being the fourteen-year-old version of herself that was swept off her feet by the boy she rescued from the iceberg. She watched him fly off and remembered the kiss on the wall of Yu Dao.

Both kisses felt as if it was the last one.

Like he wasn't coming back.

_It was all his fault. _

The door opened.

"Katara," a different voice pulled her attention. The man in the doorway had a slender build and was slightly shorter than Yakone. His clothes were plain and his head was shaved. He carried bread in one hand and a jar filled with water in the other.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Who are you?"

"That's not important." He mumbled as he crossed over to her. He sat beside her on the cement at a comfortable distance. "Here." He broke a piece of bread and extended it to her. She turned her head away from him. "Look," he sighed, "if you want to eat, this is how it's going to have to be. Unless you want to eat off the floor."

"I will die before I have to depend on a man like you." She spat at him.

The man just shook his head. "You'll die if you depend on your husband to save you."

"How dare you—"

"Shut up! Listen, you and I both know that this isn't about you. You think any person in his right mind would want the Avatar hunting him down like he's gonna hunt Yakone? No. This is about control and chaos. If Avatar Aang doesn't comply with Yakone's demands eventually, you will die. And if you don't die, you're gonna wish you did."

The words cut her deep. There was no way out of this, not with her dignity. There was no avoiding pain. She was just a pawn in a sick game played by sick people. Now her husband was forced to play too. If he had just been home when he said he would be, none of this would have happened. They could be out counting the stars together; instead, Katara could only count her breaths until her last. With tear-filled eyes, she watched him get up and walk to the door. Another man with a crooked smile watched through the window of the door.

"If you'll excuse me, I need to go back to my other job." The man left the broken bread and jar on the floor. When he opened the door, he fought the man with the crooked smile away.

_It's all Aang's fault._

**A/N: Hey! I have not forgotten about this, I promise. Also, this is the last "reactions" chapter and the story starts moving. I have it all planned so thank you for staying with me. I'm really looking forward to some possible writing time over the Thanksgiving break. Speaking of Thanksgiving, I am very thankful for all of you reading! You make my heart smile. **

**~Elphie**


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